Archive for May, 2009

Travis Barker Remixes "3 A.M."

Friday, May 29 2009 2:23 PM EST | Posted by: B.Dot | Posted in: Rap Radar Exclusives Video

Travis Barker knows how to party like a rock star.  After all, he’s had on the job training as the drummer for Blink 182. But truthfully, the So Cal native’s a hardcore hip-hop head. In fact, he’s fiddled his sticks for P.Diddy, Soulja Boy and The Game. More recently, he was commissioned to remix Eminem’s “3 A.M.”. Trav phoned in with Rap Radar to discuss how the project came to fruition.

Interview: Brian “B.Dot” Miller

How did the remix to “3.A.M.” come about?
Paul [Rosenberg] had hit me up and said that Em kind of heard in his head some sort of rock remix for it. They let me have a stab at it and then the rest is history. I had so much fun doing it. It was real cool.

Were you able to hear the record and just play it by ear?

Nah, within like the first day—it usually takes me like eight hours and I’ll pretty much have the idea like the skeleton of what’s going to happen and I’ll just add instruments to make sure the breaks are cool and instrumentation.

Will the remix be strictly viral?

It’s going to be available on Eminem.com for like some special release. I made like a video for it like I do all my remixes I do for YouTube that’s going to drop in a couple days.

You’ve done remixes for Soulja Boy, The Game, and evern appeared in Diddy’s “Bad Boy For Life” video. Are you surprised that a lot of rappers gravitate toward you?

Yeah man, I’m always stoked. I grew up listening to hip-hop just as I did, metal, punk rock, [and] everything else listening to. So it was cool to get down with some of them cause I spent so much of my childhood and my life listening to hip-hop, so I was real stoked on that and I played drums to it. Just as I was learning Van Halen records, I’d be learning Run DMC records and trying to imitate the drum machine. Trying to imitate an MPC can be difficult at times.

Who’d you grow up listening to?

As a kid, ah man. Whodini, Run DMC, big Beastie Boys fan, the Pharcyde, I toured with the Alkohiks when I was real young. That was a good time. I toured with Ice-T one time, that was real cool. But I listen to everything. Just feel good shit, from Tribe Called Quest to you know— I love 2pac, I love Dre, I love Eminem, I love Beanie Sigel. So many rappers I love.

Is there anyone that you’d want to work with that you haven’t already?

I don’t know. I think worked with so many of my peers and people I look up to know as of now. I got to play drums on a T.I. track, a couple years ago. I had Too $hort in the studio with me. I been in the studio a lot with Kid Cudi lately. I got to play on so many of my favorite rappers things. I just did a song with Beanie Sigel last year. I got to work with so many people that I love. But, I’d love to do something with Willie Nelson. I want my record to be real way out, real broad.

Do you create these remixes for personal rec?

That’s kind of how the Soulja Boy one came out. I had asked for like sessions and they made it official. Like they wanted to do an official rock remix. So that’s how that one came about. And I’m usually at the studio every day doing something. Whether its Blink rehearsal or practicing with [DJ] AM. So, when I’m here and something like this comes up, it’s just another day at the studio, but its different and I don’t usually get to remix an Eminem song everyday.

?uestlove from The Roots is known for his drumming skills too. Is there room for two drummers in hip-hop?

Yeah, man, I respect ?uest. I kind of did a drum duet kind of battle thing with him at a Grammy party. They invited me down, the Roots did, and [DJ] AM knows him real well, so I’m stoked to give back whatever I can to give back to hip-hop cause I’m such a big fan and whatever else, but I have to make room.

A lot of folks have said, “Hip-Hop is dead.” Do you think genre would ever suffer the same fate as, lets say, glam rock?

Nah. I think there’s genres— you look back at glam rock an you’re like, “What the fuck were they doing?” You look at an era of like MC Hammer and how way out he used to dress, you know, that was the time period. But, I don’t think nothing going on right now is that outlandish and far left you look back on it 10 years from now and it don’t age well. I think if anything, there’s so many different styles of hip-hip now. There are so many different rappers. Like, I’m about to be in the studio with Nipsey Hussle.

What are you doing with Nipsey?

Just writing beats. Just making shit for him so when he comes  in he has an array of beats to listen to but we been chopping it up back and forth.

That’d be a cool mash-up.

[But] that’s way different than like Cudi or Rob Roy. There are so many different people you can get down with that the subject matter would appeal to you. Like, Asher Roth exists now. Like, every kid in college, having a crazy ass time and good heartfelt goofy shit. There’s something for everyone now.

Pimp C Passed on Jay-Z's "A Week Ago"

Friday, May 29 2009 12:54 PM EST | Posted by: YN | Posted in: Focus

According to Bun B, his UGK partner Pimp C was first approached to be on Hov’s song with Too $hort before they seized the opportunity later on “Big Pimpin’.” I didn’t know that. And I call myself a Jay-Z authority. SMH.

Props: Vibe TV (2:42 mark. Click on the screen)

Classic Mixtape: DJ Mister Cee's The Best of Mobb Deep

Friday, May 29 2009 12:19 PM EST | Posted by: YN | Posted in: Music

mixtape-rapradar.com

I used to play this shit ’til the tape popped. Those early Mister Cee mixtapes were all hardbody. Tracklist and link after the jump. Hurry!

01 Mobb Deep-Peer Pressure
02 Mobb Deep-Cop Hell (Unreleased)
03 Mobb Deep-Hit It From The Back
04 Mobb Deep-Patty Shop (Unreleased) feat. Big Noyd
05 Mobb Deep-Shook Ones (Parts 1 & 2)
06 Mobb Deep-The Bridge (94 Unreleased) feat. Big Noyd
07 Mobb Deep-Survival Of The Fittest (Original & Remix) feat. Crystal Johnson
08 Mobb Deep-Give Up The Goods feat. Big Noyd
09 Mobb Deep-We About To Get Hectic (Unreleased) feat. Gambino
10 Mobb Deep-Temperatures Rising (Original & Remix) feat. Crystal Johnson
11 Mobb Deep-Eye For A Eye feat. Nas & Raekwon
12 Mobb Deep-Drink Away The Pain feat. Q-Tip
13 Mobb Deep-Q.U. (Unreleased)
14 Das EFX-Microphone Master (Remix) feat. Mobb Deep
15 Da Youngsta’s-Bloodshed & War feat. Mobb Deep
16 Mobb Deep-Take It In Blood (Unreleased)
17 Mobb Deep-Still Shinin
18 Big Noyd-Recognize & Realize (Parts 1 & 2) feat. Mobb Deep
19 The Almighty RSO-War’s On feat. Mobb Deep
20 Mobb Deep-Back At You
21 Mobb Deep-Street Life feat. L.E.S. & ACD
22 Mobb Deep-First Day Of Spring (Unreleased) feat. Tragedy
23 Tragedy-LA, LA (Original & Remix) feat. Capone-N-Noreaga & Mobb Deep
24 LL Cool J-I Shot Ya feat. Keith Murray, Prodigy, Fat Joe & Foxxy Brown
25 Big Noyd-Usual Suspect (Original & Remix) feat. Havoc
26 Nas-Live Nigga Rap feat. Mobb Deep
27 Mobb Deep-Drop A Gem On Em
28 Mobb Deep-Rep The Q.B.C. (Unreleased) feat. Godfathers Pt. III
29 Shaquille O’Neal-Legal Money feat. Mobb Deep
30 Mobb Deep-Hell On Earth
31 Mobb Deep-Everyday Gunplay (Unreleased)
32 Foxxy Brown-Da Promise feat. Havoc
33 Mobb Deep-Crime Connection (Unreleased) feat. Cormega
34 Mobb Deep-G.O.D. Pt. III
35 Mobb Deep-In The Long Run (Unreleased) feat. Ty Nitty
36 Xzibit-Eye’s May Shine (Remix) feat. Mobb Deep
37 Mobb Deep-Extortion feat. Method Man
38 Mobb Deep-Nightime Vultures feat. Raekwon

Link

Thanks: T.R.O.Y. *YN is downloading now*

Red x Meth On Carson Daly

Friday, May 29 2009 12:04 PM EST | Posted by: YN | Posted in: Focus

 

Wow, he actually sat down and interviewed them. That breaks the late night rules. Performance after the jump.

01YYby_WK40 

Spotted: Please Don’t Stare Via Yardie

 

Sean C and LV 1515 Boys Profile

Friday, May 29 2009 11:49 AM EST | Posted by: YN | Posted in: Focus

 

Nice to see these brothers still gettin’ recognized. Report claims they placed beats on next Slaughterhouse and Ghostface Killah albums. Although not part of this video, here’s what they had to say about their future projects.

On Ghostface Killah: “We cooking that up right now. The last three Ghost albums we been on. The last one we had five [tracks]. … The chemistry with Ghost is very good. It’s mostly an automatic thing. He’ll have a beat CD for a minute and when he’s ready, he’s like, ‘I want this one this one and this one.’ It just happens.” – Sean C.

On Clipse: “We got three on [their next album]. I’m exited about that. They spit your head off. It’s hard, straightforward, aggressive. They do what they do.” – Sean C.

“The beats don’t sound like us. One of them does, but the others don’t.” – LV

On Slaughterhouse: “We’re really in the beginning stages of it. We’re trying to scope a sound for Slaughterhouse so it’s their sound, not somebody else’s. We’re sending them joints, they got a bunch of joints they picked.” – Sean C.

On Wale: “I think he sounds real good. I definitely like the record we did. I like the Cool & Dre record. We went in a few times with him. The joint we did got Travis Barker on the drums. Wale got that done while he was is in L.A. The beat was done, then Travis played over it, then we played on top of what Travis did.” – LV

“It’s called ‘OG.’ He’s talking about how OGs schooled him to the game and how they was when they were young and how he listens to them. It’s not a street OG thing, but he touches on how things were different at that time.” – Sean C. 

Jay-Z and Eminem Join Forces in Video Game Business

Friday, May 29 2009 4:41 AM EST | Posted by: YN | Posted in: True Story
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USA Today has the exclusive:

The upcoming DJ Hero video game just landed two heavy hitters as MCs: Jay-Z and Eminem.

Both rappers are bringing their music to the newest offshoot of Activision’s successful $2 billion Guitar Hero franchise. The game, played with a turntable-shaped controller, is due out this fall for PlayStation 3, PS2, Xbox 360 and Wii (no price or rating yet).

A limited edition comes with the rappers’ exclusive new greatest-hits CDs, possibly including previously unreleased tracks, plus an advanced version of the controller, a DJ stand and metal traveling case. Jay-Z and Eminem will serve as consultants to Activision and the game’s developer, FreeStyleGames.

The complete list of tracks the rappers are providing is still being worked out. Jay-Z plans on including Izzo (H.O.V.A.) and Dirt Off Your Shoulder for sure. Also possible: tracks from his in-the-works Blueprint 3 album. “I have a ton of content, I just need the pipeline,” he says. “I love the freedom of (DJ Hero). I could wake up tomorrow morning with the idea for a song and call the guys at Activision and start working on getting it out.”

Eminem is more cryptic about his contributions. “I don’t want to give away any surprises yet,” he says in an e-mail interview. “DJ Hero will include my music, and I’ll be providing additional material as downloadable content by the end of the year.”

“You are going to get over 100 songs from 80 artists and 80 brand-new mixes that have never been heard before, including one with Eminem and Jay-Z (together),” says Guitar Hero president and CEO Dan Rosensweig.

I think I’ll be able to get a freebie. I mean, you would think.

Sidebar: Fuck it. “Renegade” seems appropriate.

 

New Mixtape: Folk and Stress "Outside The Box"

Friday, May 29 2009 4:25 AM EST | Posted by: YN | Posted in: Mixtapes
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Saw these guys perform the other night at the Drake show. Peter Rosenberg told me he’s co-signing, so I’m gonna check this out. I suggest you do the same. Link and tracklist after the jump. And oh yeah, they’re white. Shhh! Hush!

1. Intro
2. New York feat. GZA
3. Stick Up Kidz
4. Gettin’ Busy
5. Heron Tracks
6. Got What I Need
7. Sam Kinison Produced By: Preservation
8. Lanes Of Memory
9. You Lose feat. H2DRO
10. 3rd Bass
11. Got You Open (The Water)
12. Big Horns
13. As One feat. H2DRO
14. Lear Jet Feat. Blu
15. To Hard To Handle feat. H2DRO
16. Dont Knock It Produced By: Preservation
17. Us and Us Only
18. The Maskaraid
19. Mind Tricks

Link

 

B.o.B. "Haterz Everywhere" Live At Footlocker

Friday, May 29 2009 3:53 AM EST | Posted by: YN | Posted in: Live Show

 

“Constantly they comparin’ me to 3 Stacks.”

Em’s fave, Bobby Ray at the South Dekalb mall doin’ his 1-2 thing. Glad this joint is back on his set list. I see you, TJ.

Once Again: TYKD2.0

 

Throwback Video: Pete Rock & CL Smooth "Straighten It Out" (In Living Color)

Friday, May 29 2009 3:43 AM EST | Posted by: YN | Posted in: Focus

I can’t believe J-Lo said, “Straightenin’ Out.” With all due respect to Mr. Crack and Miss Sotomayor, The Boogie Down Bronx lost.

Spotted: BC via The Meaning of Dope

New Music: Busta Rhymes "How You Really Want It"

Friday, May 29 2009 3:13 AM EST | Posted by: YN | Posted in: Music
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My label exec is dancin’ on me…

Busta over a Transformers sample? The Dungeon Dragon loves rhymin’ over some weird shit. And who told Jesse West he could spit on this? No wonder it’s an iTunes bonus and isn’t a part of the Bullshit.

Props: YK2

Sidebar:

My label exec is still dancin’ on me…

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